What to Do With a Geography Degree

What Can I Do With a Major in Geography?

“What are you going to do with that degree?” is a question that most geography majors are familiar with. Many people assume that majoring in this subject will leave graduates completely unable to find a job outside of teaching. And though some geography majors do go on to be teachers, geography majors work in just about every industry imaginable.

Employers don’t hire degrees, they hire people. People all have their own interests, abilities, and passions that make them uniquely qualified for certain types of work. Students who choose to major in geography are often curious and analytical, which are traits that most employers find extremely valuable. For example, geography majors spend a lot of time learning about data collection and statistical analysis. These are skills that directly translate to many careers in finance, business, and marketing.

Only a minority of geography majors go on to work as geographers. Working as a geographer requires a minimum of a master’s degree in the subject, and most students who decide to attend graduate school choose to study a different subject entirely.

Some geography majors who do attend graduate school spend their time preparing to become a lawyer, or earning a more easily marketable degree like a Master’s of Business Administration. Others take jobs in unrelated fields like sales. It’s a testament to the value of a geography degree that graduates are able to find work in so many different types of occupations!

Below is a list of occupations that are highly related to the skills that geography majors develop in school: